North East Cambridge Area Action Plan (NEC AAP)

Formerly Northern Fringe

John Latham – FECRA and Highfield Avenue

Andrew Milbourn – HPERA Chair

1. North East Cambridge Area Action Plan

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• Pink – Science Park

• Yellow – Sewage works/ council, housing

• Blue – Brookgate and other developers

2. Consultation

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• Community Forum – 2 years

• Reps of Residents Associations etc

• Kings Hedges - concern about inequality, citadel

• Housing – but does it help?

• 1st phase of consultation, Issues and Options last November

• 2nd phase, this one, The plan

• Deadline 5th October

3 (a) What is driving this?

• Growth agenda – CPIER

• Targets for housing growth in ‘Greater Cambridge’ area

• 40,000+ by 2040 - Government target

• c. 35,000 identified (e.g. Northstowe, Waterbeach, Wing, Bourn airfield)

• 66,000 Greater Cambridge planning concept – find ways to fill the gap

• Strong sense of Cambridge inequalities, and out of reach house prices

• Need to reduce car commuting caused by ‘necklace’ plus longer distances

• Drive for ‘densification’ in city housing (and on Science Park)

3 (b) What is driving this?

• ‘Chicken and Egg’ growth focused on Cambridge North

• Time limited and density skewed Housing Infrastructure Fund produces £200 million to move the sewage works – Strings? Who benefits?

• Bid was submitted by Combined Authority, City Council and Anglian Water

• Bid proposed 5,000 to 7,600 new homes and 7,000 new jobs

• Work on bid undertaken 2017-2018 led by Strategic Director of the City Council

• Little evidence from available papers that members were made aware at outset of scale and density. Much work undertaken ‘behind the scenes’ by officers.

4 (a) Timetable – Anglian Water Moving the sewage works • Spring 2020 – Statement of Community Consultation

• Spring/Summer 2020 - Phase One Consultation Events

with stakeholder groups, Parish Councils, local interest groups and residents’ groups – online, website, engagement platform, leaflets, newsletters, summary reports

• Autumn/Winter 2020 – Phase Two Consultation Events

• Autumn 2021 - Phase Three Consultation Events

• Autumn 2021 - Preliminary Environmental Information Report

• Spring 2022 - Development Consent Order Submission

John

4 (b) Timetable – NECAAP (Planning Team) • Summer 2018 – Master developer appointed https://bit.ly/2RWUIXp • Spring 2019 – Housing Infrastructure Funding announced • 2019 -2022 - AAP consultations • Summer 2020 – Community engagement Ethos/Ideas • Summer 2020 –’Meanwhile’ planning permission submitted

• Spring 2021 – Meanwhile Phase 1 launch

• Summer 2022 – Community engagement design and planning

• February 2023 – AAP submission

• February 2023 – Hybrid Planning permission submission • February 2024 – Both above approved

• 2023 -2027 - Waste recycling centre decommissioning and relocation • 2027 -2028 - First homes occupied

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4 ( c) Timetable – the Elephant in the room – Brookgate’s Chesterton North Phase 2 (of 4) Brookgate has c. 30 ha. Sewage works is some 47 ha. Phase 1 is under way – hotel and offices next to Cambridge North Brookgate say that they will be consulting on Phase 2 this Autumn (2020) 700 homes (730) 12,000 sq metres of offices Shops, cafes, bars, community facilities and open spaces

Supposedly being co-ordinated

with NECAAP – but how much ? n.b. Moving ahead fast

5. Original Vision Jan Gehl – Cities for People No cars

Green Bridge over Milton Rd Car barns

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6 (a) More is less • Later additions of CRC, Cambridge Business Park, Nuffield Road Ind. Est.

and Milton Road garages to NECAAP area. • To appreciate densities care needed about numbers and spaces, and need

to include additional business and light industrial uses • Note multiple use concepts – flats above commercial and other uses • How do we get to 8,000 dwellings (minimum) ? • Sewage works - Anglian Water/Cambridge City - is 5,500 dwellings • Cowley Road adds 500 dwellings • Brookgate adds 730 dwellings • Nuffield Road and Cambridge Business Park add 1,050 dwellings • Most of these dwellings will be in multistorey apartment blocks • Dilution of original vision and concepts

6 (b) Inadequacy of provision Early reliance on existing adjacent facilities e.g. schools Now acceptance of need for 3 primary schools ‘Passive provision’ for one secondary school (maybe) BUT Health facilities at GP level - ‘CCA issue’ Car barns have disappeared Fen Road and level crossing unresolved No solution for bus depot or aggregates terminal No solution for other existing businesses No new sports pitches or swimming pool

No new allotments No major new venue included Independent shops concept lost Science Park adds nothing Green space by River is vague No recognition that Milton Country Park is already at capacity ALL ADDS UP TO MORE STRESS ON EXISTING FACILITIES OUTSIDE NECAAP

UPOs (Unelected Planning Officers) beam down alien life-style and structures in Chesterton

• We need to come to terms with the scale and nature of what is being proposed

• Urban life, but not as we know it…

• Cambridge is a low density, low building height city

• This will be very high density

• Density will be three or four times the average at Eddington or Mill Road depot

• To achieve 8,000 dwellings and commercial space in the available area tall buildings will be unavoidable

7 (b) Style of development – artist’s impression

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This is a vision of Cowley Road in 2030 What is not visible is the building height Note greenery, trees, water, walkability, bicycle. Spot the car

7 (c) Building Heights - The story so far… The storeys too far !

• First Landscape Study identified ‘hotspots’ and generated modifications

• Further landscape study will look at impact on ‘Heritage’ (City Centre) views

• Cranes at Science Park gave strong hints

• Now only pylon and aerial will give scale (c. 8 storeys) and approximate location of tallest buildings

• Note all within Marshalls airport safeguarding zone max 15m or 5/6 storeys

7 (d ) Building Heights and massing

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A typical view along Milton Road Red line, red boxes 11 -13 storeys (est) (now ‘one or two’ buildings above 11) Black line, grey boxes 8 – 10 storeys (est) Note, Milton Road curves Westwards as it goes North past Kings Hedges Road This is where tallest buildings up to 13 storeys are now proposed Will be stepped back slightly from edge of Milton Road Note impact of ‘layering’- infill of skyline

7 (e ) Building Heights and massing

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…and it is not just Milton Road that will be impacted The initial Landscape Study indicated that the area around St George’s Church, near to the last slide would be severely impacted. The black line gives an impression of where the new built skyline will be. From here we are looking towards the bus garage on Cowley Road

7 (f) Building Heights

John

The initial Landscape Study claimed that tall buildings would be invisible from the towpath hidden behind hedge and trees Paradoxically perspective and density of trees and hedges adjacent to the towpath may make that so Seen from further back – from the whole of Fen Ditton High Street and as here beyond the Plough, and from the Plough itself, height of buildings will clearly be a major intrusion on the landscape.

7 (g ) Building Heights and massing

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The Landscape study identified this view as another critical perspective The left hand side of the block is at Cambridge North. The right hand side continues beyond the edge of the picture This is a blot on the landscape, but these are 6 - 8 storey buildings

7 (h) Building Heights

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Not so bearable ! This is the same view but with ‘well articulated’ taller buildings in the 11 -13 storey range added. Of course the tops will not be red – at least we can hope not… On this scale the University Library tower is shown in blue, King’s College Chapel in purple and Ely Cathedral in orange These are among the taller buildings shown on p 8 of the consultation booklet

7 (j) A much better concept… Goldsmith Street Norwich Widely viewed as the best current exemplar of progressive, environmentally sound social housing

Built to Passivhaus standard

Density is still high, 83 dwellings/ha, but much less than general density for N E Cambridge

e.g.

Brookgate 225 – 300 /ha

Sewage works 330 – 385 /ha

But Milton Road garages 75/ha

Note: Mill Road depot 87/ha

8. Green space Proposals :

Linear ‘park’ from Milton Country Park - which is assumed to be readily available

10 ha of new Public Green Space. UK Large cities typically average 20% + of area. This is c. 10%

Mostly linear and narrow using some existing features

Enhancement of and access by bridge to Chesterton Fen

Solution:

Is probably formal designation of Chesterton Fen.

Implications ?

Note: Comparative portrayal here of Science Park is deceptive – it presently feels much ‘greener’

9 (a) A city of two tales… Polar opposites: Trumpington and NE Cambridge Green Space • Trumpington with 3,500 homes has 90 hectares

of designated public green space – Trumpington Meadows and Hobson’s Park

• NE Cambridge with 8,000 homes has 10 hectares

• Trumpington has 20 times more public green space.

• North Cambridge already weakest part of city on this measure

• Regional aim to double Biodiversity (Natural Cambridgeshire includes City Council)

• Cambridge City policy for new developments to deliver at least 10% increase in biodiversity

• NE Cambridge ‘delivers’… a 10% increase

• Compare with Eddington lakes and green space and with Waterbeach lake, and Northstowe Water Park

9 (b) Environmental standards - Water and Energy • Water use target 110 litres ppd

• Eddington design target 80 litres ppd – grey water, rainfall capture

• Eddington had Ecology Officer from start of project

• No specific commitment to green energy, district heating or highest residential building standards (Passivhaus/Sustainable Homes 6)

• Only ‘proposing robust targets’ and

• ‘encouraging … low carbon lifestyles’

10. Science Park

• Significant amount of new development

• 20,000 new jobs science park and other

• Densification

• Significant increase in transport demand

• Post Covid do people need so many offices and dense housing near them?

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11. Transport

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• Extra traffic from A14, Northstowe, Waterbeach, Science Park and NEC, other Cambridge Developments

• Trips increase by factor of 3.

• Plan just assumes extra trips not made by car

• Plan assumes no extra trips on Milton Road because: • Car use “discouraged”

• Cambridge Autonomous Metro

• = Milton Road gridlock????

12 (a) Questions on Consultation (Authors’ opinions) 1. The vision?

Overdeveloped so lacking in quality of life post-covid

2. The right walking and cycling connections? No – towpath etc overwhelmed, routes across Cambridge inadequate

3. The right mix of activity? No - Science park is office block monoculture to lack of overall mix Lack of control over Brookgate developments

4. The right balance between homes and jobs? No – 20,000 new jobs means 40,000 more people only housing for 18,000

5. The right community facilities? No – Size of Ely facilities of Swavesey? Probably no secondary school, no swimming pool, only GP level healthcare, no large cultural centre. Impact on rest of Cambridge and travel

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12 (b) Questions on Consultation (Authors’ opinions)

6. Building heights and densities appropriate for location? No - Too tall, Eddington 6-8 storeys maximum should apply

7. Planning for the right mix of public spaces?

No – not enough, too linear, too much reliance on existing

8. Doing enough re Biodiversity improvement? No – 10% is woeful. Doubling Biodiversity is regional target. Look at Eddington

9. Doing enough to discourage car travel? No – public transport offering is more of the same, not transformational step change. Cycling provision is mostly squeezing more onto existing ‘network’

10. Maximising role NE Cambridge has to play re climate crisis? Water conservation weak. Not Passivhaus. Sustainable Homes Level 6 –or 5 ? Goldsmith Street Norwich and Eddington as models.

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11. Consultation

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• Please provide feedback to the consultation, anything is better than nothing, at https://www.greatercambridgeplanning.org/nec

• A helpful guide https://www.camcycle.org.uk/blog/2020/08/north-east-cambridge-how-to-have-your-say-on-the-new-city-district/

• Deadline is 5th October

• Opinions on the 10 key questions are given in preceding slides.

• If you have specialist expertise please use this to question the proposals, any unique point is valuable.

• Please make local councillors aware, Ian Manning (County), Mike Sargeant, Jamie Dalzell, Damien Tunnacliffe (City)